Orran's Song and the Greatpine
Orran's Song and the Greatpine
Read aloud
Briala Mossmere asks you to bring back one thin, naturally hollow branch from the highest boughs of the Greatpine. Her husband Orran drowned years ago, and she cannot face the swift river inside Riverwood that lies on the way. If Wynen wishes, Briala can drill the branch into a flute and share the song Orran loved.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Reach the Greatpine without requiring Briala to accompany the party.
- 2Harvest one suitable hollow branch from the Greatpine.
- 3Resolve the crow encounter on terms chosen by the party.Optional
- 4Offer Wynen a chance to connect with Orran's memory on Wynen's own terms.Optional
The clock
No hard deadline. If the party delays, crows may notice their shiny gear or wind may make the Greatpine climb inconvenient, but the branch and family request remain available.
Scenes
- 0:00A Branch, Not a Promise
- 0:25The Swift Crossing
- 1:00The Highest Hollow Bough
- 1:55A Toll at the Cliffs
- 2:40A Song, If Wynen Wants It
Cast
- Briala MossmereQuestgiver
- Wynen MossmereWitness
- TallowWildcard
- The Caw QueenAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
In Feathered Rest, Briala Mossmere lays a small carving of a flute on the table but does not touch it. She explains that Orran drowned while rescuing her at a large river outside Riverwood toward Aundair; his body and ordinary flute were lost. The route to the Greatpine crosses a different, swift river inside Riverwood, and she cannot face it. She asks for a thin, naturally hollow branch from the tree's highest boughs. Wynen is nearby, quiet and visibly tense. Briala says she will drill the fingerholes herself and will not make Wynen play.
How Briala Mossmere asks
Briala approaches the party in Feathered Rest with a practical request and a modest, non-monetary thank-you.
She is direct about being unable to cross the swift river inside Riverwood and does not ask the party to make Wynen forgive her or perform the song.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3.5 hours0:00
25 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Branch, Not a Promise
Briala's home or a quiet meeting place in Feathered Rest.
Briala states the request, the distinction between the river inside Riverwood and the river where Orran drowned, and her boundary about not crossing. Wynen may speak, stay silent, or leave. The party can ask Briala about the branch, song, or route.
NextBriala gives remembered directions through Riverwood to the swift crossing and describes the Greatpine's highest boughs.
0:25
35 min
skill
2. The Swift Crossing
A forest river crossing inside Riverwood, on the route to the Greatpine.
The party reaches the swift river inside Riverwood. Roots, slick stones, and current make a direct crossing hazardous. Characters can secure a rope, find a shallow route, use a pole or magic, or recruit help. A failed attempt costs time, risks wet gear, or prompts a safer alternate route rather than blocking progress.
The River Inside RiverwoodNextAcross the river, follow signs of the Greatpine and look for a safe approach to its trunk.
1:00
55 min
exploration
3. The Highest Hollow Bough
At the base and high canopy of the very tall Greatpine in Riverwood.
The Greatpine's height makes the harvest a teamwork challenge. The party can climb with ropes, use equipment or spells, or find another safe way to the high branches. They must select only a thin, naturally perfectly hollow branch suitable for an ordinary wooden flute. Intelligent crows attracted to shiny gear make snatching passes at vulnerable climbers, then retreat rather than trying to injure anyone.
The Shiny TollNextIf a crow takes something, or the party elects to follow it, tracks and dropped feathers lead to the Caw Queen's Cliffs. Otherwise the party can return to Feathered Rest with the branch.
1:55
45 min
social
4. A Toll at the Cliffs
The Caw Queen's Cliffs, with three established elevations and the Caw Queen's Shack on the middle level.
At the existing Caw Queen's Cliffs, the lower level is 0 feet, the Caw Queen's Shack is on the middle level at +25 feet, and the upper level is +40 feet. The Queen is absent. The birds demand shiny tolls and maintain their own crow-object collections. The party can retrieve its own stolen goods by negotiation, exchange, tracking, or a chosen confrontation. Taking additional crow treasures is distinct from recovering personal property. Entering the private shack and taking the Queen's valuable Alchemist's Supplies is another, more consequential choice.
The Shiny TollNextOnce the party settles its business or chooses to leave, return by the route through Riverwood to Feathered Rest.
2:40
35 min
social
5. A Song, If Wynen Wants It
Feathered Rest, with Briala, Wynen, and the finished ordinary wooden flute.
Briala drills the fingerholes in the branch. She offers the flute to Wynen and shares her remembered clues to Orran's favorite song only if Wynen wishes. Wynen's grief may show as a small, uncontrolled stir of leaves or roots; treat it as an expression, not an attack or a puzzle to solve. The party can listen, help reconstruct a melody, or give the family privacy.
NextConclude with Wynen's choice and offer Briala's optional remembered directions to the separate legendary artifact as a future lead.
Behind it
What people believe
Briala Mossmere asks the party to fetch a thin, naturally hollow branch from the highest boughs of the Greatpine.
The trip crosses a swift river inside Riverwood, which Briala cannot face after her husband Orran drowned at a large river outside Riverwood toward Aundair. If Wynen chooses, Briala can turn the branch into an ordinary wooden flute and share the remembered song Orran loved. Intelligent crows may complicate the climb, and the party decides whether to bargain with them or follow their trail.
Background
Feathered Rest is a settlement in the Eldeen Reaches where druid traditions and everyday village life meet.
Briala Mossmere remembers her husband Orran's favorite song, the route he described toward a legendary artifact they hoped to seek when their son Wynen was grown, and the grief of losing him to a large river outside Riverwood toward Aundair. The river that must be crossed for this quest is a different, swift river inside Riverwood. The route to the Greatpine climbs a very tall tree whose highest branches sometimes grow thin, naturally hollow lengths suitable for an ordinary wooden flute.
The stakes
The immediate stakes are whether the party can safely bring back the branch, what price or boundary they choose with the crows, and whether Wynen is given room to choose how to remember Orran.
Crow theft can cost personal gear; taking the crows' objects or the Queen's private supplies can create future consequences. The family is not required to reconcile during this adventure.
Encounters
2The Shiny Toll
Social / traversal
The very tall Greatpine and the branches leading to it. The crows use perches, narrow boughs, and open air to harry vulnerable climbers. Ropes, climbing gear, magic, and teamwork can make the ascent safe.
Foes
Awakened crows of the Caw Queen's Cliffs
Tallow, an awakened crow negotiator
ComplicationCrows make snatching passes at exposed shiny gear and can distract a climber. They try to steal loose objects, then flee to the cliffs. A fall is possible only if a character is unprotected and ignores the danger; use a short drop and nonlethal consequences at this level.
ScalingFor a level 1 party, use two or three crows and have them warn before any snatch. For levels 2-3, use four to six crows in waves, still prioritizing theft and retreat. If the party chooses combat, crows flee when badly hurt or when a bargain is offered. Custom encounter, not an official stat-block claim.
The River Inside Riverwood
Exploration / skill
A swift forest river inside Riverwood, distinct from the large river outside Riverwood toward Aundair where Orran drowned. The bank has slick stones, roots, and possible anchor points.
ComplicationThe swift current can separate a group or sweep away unsecured gear. A secured line, a cautious ford, a pole, a spell, or finding a narrower shallow approach avoids a dangerous swim. A failed check costs time or wet equipment, not the quest.
ScalingNo combat is required. At level 1, provide obvious handholds and a nearby place to secure a line. At levels 2-3, the same route remains hazardous only if rushed or attempted with unprotected cargo. Custom environmental challenge.
Cast
4Briala Mossmere
QuestgiverQuestgiver
WantsQuestgiver. Briala wants a suitable branch so she can drill the fingerholes and make Wynen an ordinary wooden flute. She hopes it may help her son reconnect with Orran's memory, but does not want the party to force that outcome.
“I can tell you where the hollow branches grow, but I cannot go near that river. Please do not ask me to.”
Wynen Mossmere
Witness
WantsOrran and Briala's druid child. Wynen blames Briala for Orran's death and has uncontrolled minor druidic grief manifestations. Wynen wants room to choose whether to hear or play the remembered song, and whether to accept the flute.
“I don't want a song if everyone is going to tell me how to feel about it.”
Tallow
Wildcard
WantsAn intelligent awakened crow who speaks for the cliff's crow community while the Caw Queen is absent. It values shiny objects, its community's collection, and the Queen's private property, but can be bargained with and does not seek to kill climbers.
“Bright things make fair payment. Give one freely, and the path may open; take what is ours, and the whole cliff will know.”
The Caw Queen
Antagonist
WantsThe absent Caw Queen is Fey-connected to Thelanis. She treats crow collections and her private shack as distinct boundaries, and may pursue anyone who enters her shack and takes her Alchemist's Supplies.
“A bargain is a door with hinges on both sides. Mind what you carry through it.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
An ordinary wooden flute made by Briala from the selected hollow branch, offered to Wynen first.
If characters enter the Caw Queen's Shack and take her valuable Alchemist's Supplies, each component reagent quantity for an alchemical brew is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1. This is a custom item benefit, not a claim about an official 2014 D&D item.
On a win
The party returns with a suitable naturally hollow branch.
Briala drills fingerholes and offers Wynen the flute without pressure. If Wynen wants, Briala shares the remembered song through compatible clues: she taps its opening rhythm on the table, recalls Orran's repeated phrase about a returning bird, and hums the final rising notes. These clues let the players reconstruct or invent a fitting melody without requiring a real-world song or a single correct performance. Success means the family has a choice and a way to remember, not that grief or blame is instantly resolved.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- A river crossing attempt goes badly.
- If the party cannot cross safely at first, they lose time and must find a shallower crossing, improvise a line, or use magic. Briala's requested branch remains available.
- An ascent check or approach fails.
- If the party cannot climb to the highest branches, they can recruit help, make a longer route with ropes, or return with a plan. No one is required to risk a fatal fall.
- The party fails to prevent a crow from snatching a loose shiny object.
- If crows steal an item, tracking the birds leads to the existing Caw Queen's Cliffs. The party can negotiate its return, trade for it, or accept the loss. The crows do not have to become enemies.
- Wynen declines the flute or remembered song.
- If Wynen rejects the flute, the party can still complete the practical request by delivering it to Briala, who will leave the choice with Wynen. Do not force a reconciliation or song.
Complications (d6)
- 1A slick root gives way at the riverbank. A climber must catch a companion, secure a rope, or retreat a few yards to find a safer crossing point.
- 2A low branch breaks under a climber's weight. The climber can stop their fall with a nearby branch or rope; if unprotected, they drop a short distance and take a minor bruise, not a lethal fall.
- 3A crow recognizes a shiny object and makes a snatching pass. It targets a loose, accessible item and retreats rather than attacking to injure.
- 4Wind shifts the greatpine's upper boughs. Pause to secure the harvest and wait for a lull, or make a careful check to continue without losing the selected branch.
- 5Wynen's grief stirs nearby leaves and roots. The harmless manifestation unsettles onlookers; give Wynen space, ask what they want, or let the plants settle before continuing.
- 6A crow drops a bright trinket near the trail as a test. Taking it without asking draws a warning; leaving it, returning it, or offering an exchange earns a clear chance to negotiate.
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